John Heartfield. Laughter Is a Devastating Weapon

-Tate Publishing (2015)-. Collection catalogue. First edition first printing 2015. 176 pages. Illustrated mainly in colour. Cloth in dustjacket. Fine. As new. This large-format overview of the work of John Heartfield draws on the superlative collections of the Academie der Kunst, Berlin, and the David King collection at Tate Modern. Born in Berlin in 1891, Heartfield, along with George Grosz, is widely considered to have invented photomontage, a technique of cutting up and manipulating photographs. During the 1930s Heartfield s engagement with this medium produced some of the most visually arresting and politically hard-hitting artwork of the twentieth century, appropriating the widely-circulated propaganda of the time to create its total antithesis. John Heartfield began his career as a graphic designer for his brother s legendary publishing house Malik Verlag, at which time he also joined the German Communist Party for whom he created many satirical posters. However, his pre-eminence in photomontage was confirmed by the work he produced for the Communist weekly AIZ and Volks Illustrierte, creating 237 photomontages between 1930 and 1937. In his own words, he used laughter as a devastating weapon to target the Nazi regime of violence and demagogy, but this in turn made he himself a target for Nazi scorn and censorship. In 1933 much of his work was destroyed when the Gestapo ransacked his studio, and the ensuing years saw him flee in exile around Europe where he continued to produce his brilliantly terrifying images. With an essay written by the author in his own inimitable style, the book includes over 150 full-colour reproductions of Heartfield s beautiful and powerful work, both in its original and printed forms, as well as documentary photographs and recollections from Heartfield s surviving family members. We are specialists in Artists Monographs, Catalogues and Illustrated items. All items are as described and dispatched within 24 hours in a secure package. We are professional booksellers with over 38 years experience, you may order with confidence. Other titles by this artist maybe in stock, please ask for our list or link. John Heartfield Laughter Is a Devastating Weapon 9781849761840